Best skater ever.

Estação Primeira de Mangueira samba school parades in Rio de JaneiroThe Brazilian Carnival (Portuguese: Carnaval) is an annual festival in Brazil held 40 days before Easter and marks the beginning of Lent. During Lent, Roman Catholics are supposed to abstain from all bodily pleasures, including the consumption of meat. The carnival, celebrated as a profane event and believed to have its origins in the pagan Saturnalia, can thus be considered an act of farewell to the pleasures of the flesh.Brazilian Carnival as a whole exhibits some differences with its counterparts in Europe and other parts of the world, and within Brazil it has distinct regional manifestations. Brazilian citizens used to riot until the Carnival was accepted by the government as an expression of culture. That was because the Brazilian carnival had its origin in a Portuguese festivity called “entrudo”.

Rio de Janeiro

Modern Brazilian Carnival finds its roots in Rio de Janeiro in the 1845, when the city’s bourgeoisie imported the practice of holding balls and masquerade parties from Paris. It originally mimicked the European form of the festival, over time acquiring elements derived from Native American and African cultures.

In the late 19th century, the cordões (literally laces or strings in Portuguese) were introduced in Rio de Janeiro. These were groups of people who would parade through the streets playing music and dancing. Today they are known as blocos (blocks), consisting of a group of people who dress in costumes or specials t-shirts according to certain themes or to celebrate the Carnival. Blocos are generally associated with particular neighbourhoods or suburbs and include both a percussion or music group and an entourage of revellers.

This “blocos” have become a big part of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival. There are more than 100 “blocos” nowadays and each year this number increases. Some are big, some are small, most concentrate in square and later parade though the streets and a few stay in the same place all the time. Each “bloco” has its place or street to parade and the big ones usually close the streets for car traffic. They usually start in January and last till the end of Carnival, so since the beginning of the year you can see a group of people dancing samba in any street of Rio in the weekends and during Carnival every day.

“Blocos” parade in Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Lagoa, Jardim Botânico, and in the centre of Rio. Usually the people who organize the “bloco” write their own music, which is played at all time during the parade, along with old carnival favourites called in Portuguese “Marchinhas de carnaval”, and sambas that have become classics. Some important “blocos” are “O cordão do bola preta”, that goes through the heart of Rio’s historical center, and “Suvaco do Cristo” (Christ’s armpit in Portuguese), in the neighbourhood, near Rio’s Botanic Garden. Monobloco is another bloco that has become so famous that their band plays all year round in parties and small concerts.
Samba schools are very large, well-financed organizations that work year round in preparation for Carnival. Parading in the Sambadrome runs over four entire nights and is part of an official competition, divided into seven divisions, in which a single samba school will be declared that year’s winner. Blocos deriving from the samba schools also hold street parties in their respective suburbs, through which they parade along with their followers.

Bahia

There are several major differences between Carnival in the state of Bahia in Brazil’s Northeast Region and Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. The musical styles are different in each carnival; in Bahia there are many rhythms, including samba, samba-reggae, axé, and others, which are performed on a truck equipped with giant speakers and a platform where musicians play called a trio-elétrico. Massive numbers of people follow the trucks singing and dancing. The “Indian” groups were inspired by Western movies from the United States. The groups dress up as Native Americans and take on Native American names. Blocos Afros, or Afro groups, were influenced by the Black Pride Movement in the United States, independence movements in Africa, and reggae music that denounced racism and oppression. The groups inspired a renewed pride in African heritage.

Source » Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brazil beaches are year round useable [except for the southern part of the country] with 4,578 miles of coastline packed with foot-friendly sand. Beware travelling Brazil in the summer holiday Dec-Feb [school holidays and Carnival time], when domestic transportation and accommodation can be expensive and difficult to find.

In summer, Dec-Feb, temperatures can reach 40C. Best March-May and Sept-Nov.
Generally sand is white and fine, the sun shines, prices are low and people are pleasant. The water, however, is the Atlantic Ocean, so will often be rough, with strong currents, a steep drop off and not very warm, unless protected by a reef. Careless tourists drown regularly!Around Rio de Janeiro:

Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro
The world’s best city beach with 4km of surprisingly spotless wide white sand. Relatively cheap, with friendly, lively locals. Plenty of accommodation, restaurants and outrageous night clubs. A great place for volley ball, and is the home of ‘futevolei’ [foot volley ball], too. Fun for people watching especially if you favour huge bottoms.
The down side is that you have to be cautious about thieves : use common sense - no watches, jewellery, or cameras.
If you like a little more sophistication go next door to Ipanema.

Ipanema and Leblon, Rio de Janeiro
Home of the bikini and tangas- tiny bikinis- Ipanema and Leblon are adjacent and slightly more chic and relaxed than nearby Copacabana. There is a family-friendly ambience and even a meeting area for mothers and babies. Soft white sand and cool blue water.

Buzios, 100 miles [160kms] NE of Rio
Originally a fishing village Buzios is now a small and still unspoilt town on a peninsula crowded with 22 fine beaches and not a lot of people top use them. Buzios came to fame when France’s famous beauty, Brigitte Bardot, hung out there in the 60’s.

Angra dos Reis, Costa Verde [between Rio and Sao Paulo]
If you want to escape from Rio, Costa Verde is a good destination. Costa Verde [Green Coast], is one of the most scenic stretches along the 175-mile coastline between Rio and Sao Paulo, where tropical forest spread down to the ocean, with broad bays, golden sandy beaches and small fishing villages. There are some good resort hotels, villas, trendy restaurants and clubs. Angra dos Reis [Kings' Cove] is the best beach of the area and one of the most untouched beauty spots in the country.

Santos Beach Gardens, south of Sao Paulo
The town of Santos, 45 miles from Sao Paulo, has a beautiful 4 mile beach garden, reckoned by locals to be the largest garden in the world. It stretchs from Ponta da Praia, ferryport from another well-known beach resort called Guaruja, to Sao Vicente, the oldest town in Brazil.

Far north of Rio de Janeiro, north east Brazil:
Salvador, Bahia State
A beautiful, vibrant colonial city with excellent beaches on both sides.

Ilha de Tinharé, Bahia state
The seashore on this little island off the coast of Salvador is one of the prettiest in Brazil.
Neighbouring beaches, Ondina and Rio Vermelho, host Salvador’s most expensive resort hotels, while Rio Vermelho has some of the city’s best bars and music.
Going north along the Orla Marítima are many restaurants, clean white sand, and in the north, the Lagoa de Abaeté, a black freshwater lagoon.

Praia do Forte resort, Bahia State
Praia do Forte, to the north of Salvador, is an old fishing village reconfigered as a laidback, downmarket resort. It has more than 8 miles of superb sandy beaches and natural pools and is surrounded by thousands of square miles of wild nature. Among the many cheap and cheerful little hotels is Brazil’s first eco-resort, Praia do Forte EcoResort - delux but low key - lurking by the best sandy bit in the area, and offering various eco tourist programmes such as bird-watching, and rainforest walking. 1.5 hours from Salvador.

Natal, Rio Grande Norte State
Natal, inelegant, but ‘the city of the sun’ sees more than 300 days of sunshine a year and has some of the best stretches of sand in South America, including good lively city beaches - but beware the surf.
Just out of town the seaside get better with the prettiest area being Ponta Negra bay[ 10km away], and Pipa beach [80km away] - so lovely that dolphins visit regularly to admire it.
In addition Rio Grande do Norte has a more than 40 other great beaches, in particular Pirangi, Jacuma, Maracajaú, Galinhos. And by the way, wild buggy rides over the huge dunes seem to be a big attraction in this area.

Fortaleza, Ceara State
A mediocre city beach but hundreds of miles of superb wild coast either side of it, with dunes, palms, wild water and not much else.

Jericoacoara, Ceará State [300km west of Fortaleza]
Jericoacoara, increasingly fashionable in Brazil, has spectacular sunsets from the sand-dunes overlooking the little developed beaches. It is also known as an excellent place for windsurfing and horse-riding along the sands.

South Brazil:
Praia do Rosa, 90km south of Florianopolis
A small fishing village popular with no more than a few surfers until recently, Rosa is a beautiful beach with great surf, but developing rapidly. Get there before it’s too late.

Guardo do Embau, near Florianopolis
Between Florianopolis and Garopaba this is a beautiful beach with an excellent slope for sandboarding, a small beach, good surf and friendly locals.

And other suggestions south of Rio: Praia Ferrugem, Mariscal, 4 Ilhas.

source » www.bugbog.com

As a matter of reciprocity a visa is required for American citizens wishing to visit Brazil.

• If you are not an American or Canadian citizen, check if you need a VISA to enter Brazil for tourism purposes.
• Identify your consular jurisdiction, determined by your place of residence, and always check with your consulate for specific information about hours of operation, processing time, and payment methods.
• APPLICATIONS BY MAIL WILL BE ACCEPTED ONLY FOR RESIDENTS WITHIN the appropriate CONSULAR JURISDICTION.
• The consulates in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, DO NOT ACCEPT APPLICATIONS BY MAIL.
• APPLICATIONS from outside of your jurisdiction area will only be accepted if submitted in person.

GENERAL TOURIST VISA INFORMATION

YOU MUST CONTACT THE CONSULATE OF YOUR JURISICTION

Requirements for TOURIST visas:

• A passport valid for at least six months beyond the applicant’s intended period of stay in Brazil.
• One passport-sized photograph (2″ x 2″)
• A photocopy of the round trip ticket or itinerary
• A duly filled out and signed visa application form. Download a Visa Application form at http://www.brasilemb.org/consulado/consular_forms.shtml
• For American citizens the fee is U$130.00. For citizens of Canada the fee is U$65.00. For citizens of other countries, please check at http://www.brasilemb.org/consulado/consular_table_fee.shtml
• A non-refundable handling fee of US$10.00 per visa applies to visa applications submitted by mail or by any individual other than the applicant or an immediate member of his or her family (NOTE: New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco do not accept applications by mail).

If your consulate does not accept applications by mail (New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco), applicants unable to apply in person MUST use a visa service agency. Please visit the website for the consulate in your jurisdiction for a list of visa service agencies.

Visa processing times for applications vary. Processing time may take one to ten business days for applications received in person. The consulates that accept applications by mail usually require 7 to 10 business days (NOT including transit times) to process visas. Check with the consulate where you will be applying for their current processing times.

If you are applying by mail do not forget to include a prepaid, self-addressed/ stamped return envelope with the application so that the consulate can mail it back to you (ONLY USPS ENVELOPES WILL BE ACCEPTED). The Brazilian Tourism Office recommends the use of USPS registered or certified mail or the use of USPS priority or express mail. Do not forget to keep the tracking or registration number for your records in case you need to locate the envelope.

BRIC or BRICs are terms used in economics to refer to the combination of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

General thinking is that the term was first prominently used in a thesis of the Goldman Sachs investment bank. The main point of this 2003 paper was to argue that the economies of the BRICs are rapidly developing and by the year 2050 will eclipse most of the current richest countries of the world.

Finally, because of the popularity of the Goldman Sachs thesis “BRIC” and “BRIMC” (M for Mexico), these terms are also extended to “BRICK” (K for Korea) , “BRICS” (S for South Africa), “BRICA” (GCC Arab countries – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE) and “BRICET” (including Eastern Europe and Turkey) have become more generic marketing terms to refer to these emerging markets.
The BRIC thesis

Goldman Sachs argues that the economic potential of Brazil, Russia, India, and China is such that they may become among the four most dominant economies by the year 2050. The thesis was proposed by Jim O’Neill, global economist at Goldman Sachs. These countries encompass over twenty-five percent of the world’s land coverage, forty percent of the world’s population and hold a combined GDP of 15.435 trillion dollars. On almost every scale, they would be the largest entity on the global stage. However, it is important to note that it is not the intent of Goldman Sachs to argue that these four countries are a political alliance (such as the European Union) or any formal trading association, like ASEAN. Nevertheless, they have taken steps to increase their political cooperation, mainly as a way of influencing the United States position on major trade accords, or, through the implicit threat of political cooperation, as a way of extracting political concessions from the United States, such as the proposed nuclear cooperation with India.

Dreaming with BRICs: The Path to 2050

The BRIC thesis (defended in the paper Dreaming with BRICs: The Path to 2050) recognizes that Brazil, Russia, India and China have changed their political systems to embrace global capitalism. Goldman Sachs predicts China and India, respectively, to be the dominant global suppliers of manufactured goods and services while Brazil and Russia would become similarly dominant as suppliers of raw materials. Cooperation is thus hypothesized to be a logical next step among the BRICs because Brazil and Russia together form the logical commodity suppliers to India and China. Thus, the BRICs have the potential to form a powerful economic bloc to the exclusion of the modern-day G8 status. Brazil is dominant in soy and iron ore while Russia has enormous supplies of oil and natural gas. Goldman Sachs’ thesis thus documents how commodities, work, technology, and companies have diffused outward from the United States across the world.

Following the end of the Cold War or even before, the governments comprising BRIC all initiated economic or political reforms to allow their countries to enter the world economy. In order to compete, these countries have simultaneously stressed education, foreign investment, domestic consumption, and domestic entrepreneurship. According to the study, India has the potential to grow the fastest among the four BRIC countries over the next 30 to 50 years. A major reason for this is that the decline in working age population will happen later for India and Brazil than for Russia and China. BRIC is the future.

source : wikipedia